An L&D Question - current operation

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all this L& D discussion had me looking at maps.   Do they run trains between Brookneal & Lynchburg anymore or does everything go west to AltaVista  and on to Roanoke ? 
In times gone by, the empty gons were handled via the L&D to Lynchburg,  then west on theBlue Ridge District-- it avoided bucking the predominately eastbound traffic on the formerVGN.  Then NS bought gons that wouldn't clear the timber - lined tunnel on the L&D atLynchburg (Durmid Tunnel ?), so it's likely that the westbounds now divert at the Vabrook.connection back to the Altavista District for Roanoke.

Everything to and from the Hyco and Mayo plants & Roxboro,  is it from Roanoke via the Virginian or does it come down directly from the N&W yard in Lynchburg ?
Prior to the VGN merger, L&D crews handled the traffic out of Island Yard, but afterthe merger, N&W originated trains at Roanoke.  It avoided two terrific climbs --to Blue Ridge and up to 12th Street (Lynchburg))  with a ruling grade of 2.6%
(I have seen locomotives idling in South Boston. 
Operating procedure in times gone by was for the Hyco and Mayo loaded trains tostop at Clarkton and set off two-thirds of the consist.  There was one more hillto climb -- to Cluster Springs.  The Roanoke crew would take  a third of the trainto destination and a crew based at South Boston would ferry the remnants fromClarkton to the power plants.  Probably the engines you witnessed idling at South Bostonwere assigned to the relay crew.                                                                                                                  Harry Bundy
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